1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mounting system for adjustably mounting an accessory to an automobile engine. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved bracket for mounting an accessory to an automobile engine where the position of the accessory is adjustable in a predetermined direction relative to the engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hot rods are automobiles that are adjusted or rebuilt for high performance, such as quick acceleration and great speed. It is very common for hot rods to be assembled from older model automobiles. Unfortunately, many older model automobile parts are in short supply and therefore difficult to obtain. Consequently, hot rods are often assembled using a collection of parts from different models and different years. The parts often have to be rebuilt or machined in order to correctly fit together. Because of the rebuilt nature of hot rod engine, there are many difficulties associated with mounting new accessories, such an alternator or air conditioning compressor, to the engine.
One such difficulty involves mounting an accessory that is driven by a belt that is coupled to a pulley on the engine drive shaft. When installing such an accessory, an installer must adjust the position of the device so that the device is correctly aligned with the plane in which the associated pulley rotates so that the belt rotates smoothly. If the belt is not correctly aligned between the accessory and the pulley, the accessory may vibrate during operation which can damage the engine or reduce engine performance. Moreover, if the belts are not correctly aligned between the device and the engine, the belts may break or throw themselves from the engine. Unfortunately, current accessory mounts do not provide the installer with a way of easily adjusting the position of the mount relative to the engine.
Installation of engine accessories to a hot rod engine is also time consuming and inconvenient. Because a hot rod engine is often assembled from a collection of parts from different engine manufacturers and models, these engines do not have mounting holes that are dedicated to the mounting of newer parts, such as an air conditioner or alternator. Consequently, an installer must typically drill mounting holes onto the engine in order to install the new part. The installer thus risks damaging the engine while drilling the holes, such as by breaking into water passages within the engine. Moreover, the installer must often remove certain parts of the engine, such as the engine heads, prior to drilling, which is time-consuming.
There is therefore a need for a device that can be used to mount accessories, such as air conditioning units or alternators, onto a hot rod automobile engine where the position of the device is adjustable in a predetermined direction so that belts and pulleys that drive the accessory may be aligned for optimal operation. An installer should be able to easily mount the device without having to drill mounting holes in the engine.
The aforementioned needs are satisfied by the present invention, which is an adjustable mounting bracket that is used to mount an accessory, such as an air conditioning unit or an alternator, to an automobile engine.
In one aspect of the invention, a mounting bracket is configured to be removably attached to an engine. The mounting bracket acts as a mount to which an engine accessory, such as an alternator or an air conditioning unit, may be attached. The bracket is advantageously adjustable in a direction that allows the installer to correctly align the accessory with an associated belt and pulley on the engine. Preferably, this allows the installer to mount the accessory to the engine so that vibration caused by the belt is reduced.
In another aspect of the invention, one or more mounting holes are located on the bracket. The mounting holes are positioned such that the bracket may be mounted to an automobile engine using pre-existing holes that are located on a standard engine. Hence, an installer does not have to drill holes into the engine in order to mount the bracket to the engine.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed an adjustable accessory mounting bracket for mounting an accessory to an engine including a main body and accessory mounting portion that is movably attached thereto. The accessory mounting portion is configured to removably support an engine accessory, such as an air conditioning compressor or an alternator. The accessory mounting portion is slidably attached to the main body in such a manner that the position of the accessory mounting portion relative to the main body is adjustable in a predetermined direction. The accessory mounting bracket also includes at least one mounting aperture that may be aligned with an existing aperture on an engine for mounting the bracket to the engine.
Thus, the present invention is a device that may be used to adjustably mount an accessory to an automobile engine. The device may be mounted onto pre-existing holes on a standard motor so that an installer does not have to drill holes in order to mount the device. Moreover, the position of the device relative to the engine is adjustable so that an installer can correctly align the accessory with associated belts with pulleys on the engine.